FIG 2016-2018 Individual Apparatus World Cup Series In Artistic Gymnastics Commences In Cottbus

The 2016-2018 FIG Individual Apparatus World Cup series in Artistic Gymnastics begins Thursday in Cottbus, Germany, with the first of eight stops on a circuit that ends in March 2018 in Doha, Qatar.

The new Individual Apparatus World Cup series format spans two years, with Cottbus (GER), Melbourne (AUS), Baku (AZE) and Doha (QAT) each set to host two World Cup events between November 2016 and March 2018. World Cup series winners on each apparatus (Men: Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars and Horizontal Bar; Women: Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam and Floor Exercise) will be announced after the final stop.

Gymnasts will be attributed points based on their rankings on each apparatus at the different World Cup stops. The points from each gymnast’s best three finishes will be totaled to determine the World Cup series winner on that apparatus. A prize purse of 5,000 Swiss francs will be awarded to each winner at the end of the series.

“We wanted to emphasize the World Cup series in our competition calendar, and to have continuity in competitions in order to highlight these fantastic events and make it more exciting for the public and the media,” said outgoing FIG President Bruno Grandi, whose term ends December 31. “This is the beginning of a new Olympic cycle, and it will be interesting to watch new talent emerge on the road to Tokyo 2020.”

The Individual Apparatus World Cup series is one of three different World Cup series in Artistic Gymnastics. The Artistic Gymnastics Individual All-around World Cup series kicks off in Newark (USA) on March 4, while the first event in the 2017 World Challenge Cup series will take place in Koper (SLO) on May 12.